Red Alert 3 demo up on Xbox Live Marketplace

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Nov 28th 2008 at 2:45PM }

In the rare and somewhat disturbing event that Tim Curry's illustrious presence doesn't result in an automatic purchase from you, you might want to test your real-time strateeh-gery in EA's Red Alert 3 demo. It's up on the Xbox Live Marketplace right now, says Major Nelson, who also lists "the game's cinematic opening, 1 campaign mission from both the Soviet and Allied campaigns, and an interactive tutorial" as part of the downloadable snippet.

But seriously, Tim Curry is in there. You really don't have this yet?

Tags: Command-and-Conquer, Demo, EA, Red-Alert-3, RTS, XBLM, Xbox-Live

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Yuccadude @ Nov 28th 2008 2:56PM

You mean Mr. Hector from Home Alone 2? I'm downloading it as we speak.

PR @ Nov 29th 2008 12:49AM

Ya, And i'd actually be able to try it if my dam box did'nt red ring on me yesterday

Joeshie @ Nov 28th 2008 2:56PM

lol RTS on consoles

Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Nov 28th 2008 3:35PM

Damn right.

Especially since apparently RA3 on PS3 has M/K disabled as it would be unfair on those poor assholes who will actually play it online with a controller...

As if Keyboards and Mouses were very expensive and you couldn't get a combo for less than $20...oh wai...

BananaBoat @ Nov 28th 2008 3:56PM

Most probably aren't willing to set up a mouse and keyboard in their living room where the TV is located. If using a mouse and keyboard really is an advantage, it seems logical that they would even the playing field for the majority that would be playing with a controller.

This is why I get RTS games on the PC anyway. I guess "lol RTS on Console" is fairly accurate, although a console could play an RTS the same as a PC could if they would allow the K/M support...so it's more of a "lol, developers" than a "lol, consoles".

Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Nov 28th 2008 4:12PM

So just because the majority of people are stubborn/retarded and don't know better than to play it with a controller,it's okay everybody who's not a masochist should be denied the right to play in comfort? If I suggested that the sequel to CSS should have massive recoil/aiming reticle to help those poor sods who are playing the game on 360 Controllers,I would be laughed at. Why? Because I shouldn't be playing RTS's and Twitch-Shooters with a controller in first place, let alone be denied the choice and be forced to pick a far inferior option just because 90% of community is retarded/stubborn and doesn't know better.

Either way, HUGE FAIL on the dev's side. The sooner they learn that K/M is essential, the sooner we'll see a console RTS that doesn't suck!

HDFury @ Nov 28th 2008 4:31PM

While I do agree with you on some aspects (like the ability to have a choice) I respectfully disagree with your whiny rant. Mostly because you DO have an option already. Console or PC? If you use a PC you get to have the good old M/K. If you CHOOSE to buy the console version then you know before you buy it that you will be using the controller.

BTW, it is not a fact that M/K is better for either FPS or RTS. Some people are honestly better with a controller (myself included). I suck at HALO on the PC when using M/K but if I play on the 360 I'm a lot better (yeah I still suck but I'm better than on the PC). I think of it as a right brain/ left brain type of thing. Different strokes for different folks. Either way stop trying to pass of your preference as fact.

Ihavepants @ Nov 28th 2008 4:49PM

HD Fury, although you may be better yourself at using a Controller rather than a KB/M, our point is that KB/M is actually a lot more accurate and if you can use it properly (not really sure what's so hard here), it's a lot better.

I play on PC and for quite a lot of games I use my 360 controller... but for RTS or most FPS's, wanting to play with the controller, especially in multiplayer, is pure masochism. Having said that I'm quite decent at Crysis in Multi with a controller, but nowhere near as good as with KB/M

^^Not quite sure where I was going with this.

HDFury @ Nov 28th 2008 5:04PM

@Ihavepants
I understand what you're saying with accuracy and whatnot but I'm just saying that it is an opinion and not a fact. I grew up playing all the command and conquers, warcrafts, starcraft, etc on the PC. But I was able to play just as good with the controller when it came to Command & Conquer 3.

Have you ever seen the stats from the matches of The Cross Platform Clash on XBL/WL? There are only three games that have this ability as of yet (Shadowrun , Lost Planet , and Universe at War ). The first round of Shadowrun went to the PC by a small margin. The first round of Lost Planet went to the 360 players by a slightly higher margin and I'm not sure if they ever posted the outcome of the Universe at War match.

Some people are better with one or the other. This argument is about as sad as whether PS3 or 360 is better. It's all about choice and preference baby!

BananaBoat @ Nov 28th 2008 5:20PM

Mice are more accurate in theory (higher sensitivity) but in practice, the difference between mouse and controller isn't that extreme. Some people prefer the control layout where they have two sticks, one for aim, one for moving (as opposed to having to use WASD). Playing with a mouse and keyboard can give a splitting pain in what used to be your hand but that is now your claw.

For RTS's, the keyboard is more important for all of it's macro capabilities that you could never have with a controller. I don't buy that you can't select units just as fast with a controller as you can with a mouse, but it's a no brainer that you could have a ton more functions mapped to the keyboard than you could to the controller. For FPS's, the basic mechanics of run, aim, shoot, crouch etc is all performed just fine with a controller.

I'm sure it varies by game to game as well. I could easily go toe to toe with a PC COD4 player while playing on the 360. Any game that isn't "twitchy" like Unreal Tournament or Quake should be pretty much equal on the PC and on the console. So no, it is not a fact that mice are better than controllers ,it is an opinion.

I'll echo some previously made statements; A console is not a PC. If you buy a game for the console, you should expect to play it with a controller. Yes, the capability exists to play with a mouse and keyboard on the PS3, but think about the 90% (or higher, who knows) that would be playing on a controller, and ask yourself why you think you deserve a leg up on them (if a mouse and keyboard is in fact an advantage). If they are restricting the use of keyboard and mouse in single player, then I absolutely understand your frustration, and that really is probably just laziness on behalf of the developer, but I can see where they are coming from with restricting the use during online play (though they could have had a matchmaking area specifically for mouse/keyboard users....)

potato @ Nov 28th 2008 5:34PM

I firmly believe that a good RTS control scheme for consoles *can* exist.

I also firmly believe, after playing this demo, that RA3 is not it. It is *incredibly* difficult to control on the console. EndWar was much better, but even then still felt sluggish and iffy.

Maybe I'll try this on the PC, but with the DRM, maybe not. Maybe Mirror's Edge?

HDFury @ Nov 28th 2008 5:59PM

@BananaBoat
My sentiments exactly. That's exactly what I was trying to get at. The Cross Platform battles that MS have setup are a perfect example of this.

@Potato
Here's hoping for Halo Wars built from the ground up to be a console RTS. Ported from the computer RTS (and FPS for that matter) titles don't play as well on the consoles but when they are developed specifically for the console things work out better. Look at what Halo did for console FPSs.

another .02 cents (I think I'm up to a buck now LOL)
Most quality titles have an option to adjust sensitivity for the analog sticks now. If you adjust them all the way up.....holy crap.

BananaBoat @ Nov 28th 2008 6:36PM

I just tried the demo....it's hot poop on a stick. Seriously.

I don't know if the problems I was having are fixed on the PC or not...but oh boy.... the AI of the units is just terrible. They'll sit there and get shot for an hour if you don't specifically tell them to defend their positions (which is done with a double tap of A). Unfortunately, they seemed to forget that I double tapped after dealing with one wave of enemies, so along comes another and....rape. I also hate that you can't group enemies (an armor group, an infantry group, etc) not to mention that the camera is completely awful, and the stupid "Fog of War" graying combined with the horrible slant angle makes seeing anything impossible. Games like this make me realize why World in Conflict was great.

CDN Crockett @ Nov 29th 2008 7:31PM

Ha, PC gaming! So very dated!!!

MC Double Def DP @ Nov 28th 2008 3:02PM

Does the open cinematic have lulz?

Lee @ Nov 28th 2008 3:03PM

Is that George Takai?

The Dark Wayne @ Nov 28th 2008 3:11PM

TAKEI!

Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 28th 2008 3:17PM

tomayto, tomato

batman, blurtman

Lee @ Nov 28th 2008 4:34PM

Just going off the phonetics from I'm a Celebrity.

Yea :(

Being pecked by emu's.

rTwelve xbl:Chilblane @ Nov 28th 2008 3:09PM

JK Simmons? What is this?

I'm going to download this demo due to those three images. Thanks, Joystiq.

Gemini Ace @ Nov 28th 2008 3:22PM

I prefer J Jonah Jameson.

AxelFury @ Nov 28th 2008 3:23PM

You mean Vern Schillinger!

HDFury @ Nov 28th 2008 4:09PM

Oh Verne........I remember when Beacher pooed on your face. One of the main reasons I can't take him seriously anymore. He's a great actor but seriously......he got pooed on.

Adam @ Nov 28th 2008 3:46PM

So George is in this and in the jungle right now. whats next?

Blank-Mage @ Nov 28th 2008 4:06PM

What, there are people who haven't beaten this yet? They make Lincoln's head into a laser. What's not to love?

Donald @ Nov 28th 2008 4:36PM

Is it wrong that when I first saw the picture for this post, I thought "That's a Joystiq Podcast picture waiting to happen"?

*goes to download GIMP*

TanakaReinaFan @ Nov 28th 2008 4:45PM

I like how an Englishman is playing a Russian.
Because everyone knows that English people and Russians look the same.

DM7000 @ Nov 28th 2008 5:16PM

close enough

DiL @ Nov 28th 2008 5:20PM

I still think James Earl Jones in tiberian sun is the best celebrity cameo

aj @ Nov 28th 2008 7:25PM

Tim Curry and George Takei at once? This has to be the gayest game ever. And I want it. I want it now.

Alien Lord @ Nov 28th 2008 8:43PM

I played the demo and loved it, oh and for the console haters I switched to consoles for gaming because I found the controller not only more comfortable but better suited to gaming.

DiL @ Dec 1st 2008 7:14PM

The haters? what are you an up and coming rapper?

capt_carl @ Nov 29th 2008 11:21AM

Frank N Furter for President! The national anthem shall be changed to "Sweet Transvestite."

isaacsaura @ Jan 20th 2009 6:03AM

RA3 has sacrificed strategy for cinematics. Taikei trimming a bonzai doesn't do it for me like a flame tank fragulating a shop front does!.. the cinematics suck despite big name actors!

Another thing, every bloody skirmish map is exactly symmetrical, how boring! Not even crates deliver surprises. Spying's useless, just to disable an enemy production plant - "wow"! What ever happened to gaining access to produce a yuri prime or some other radical unit?

finally the fog-of-war stifles attack and general game play. it's RA3's very own chastedy belt! it's a shame that the 40 year old virgins at EA don't man up and at least release a mod to get rid of it